Logan settled back into his seat to get comfortable and watched out of the window as the airplane ascended over Palo Alto, his home for the past eighteen months since he had left Connecticut, and her, behind. He'd made several trips back East in that time but none of them had the same meaning as this one. This time he was heading back to Hartford for good, having tied up his business affairs in California once and for all, after he had received the news that his father had been unwell.

Hearing that the great Mitchum Huntzberger had developed a serious heart condition had come as a little bit of shock to all the family, including Mitchum himself. Logan had been stupefied when his father had called him up a few weeks back and asked him to take over the reins at the Huntzberger Publishing Group while he recuperated from the triple bypass operation that he had to undergo suddenly.

There was no denying that Logan had a strained relationship with this father, which had only become more difficult over recent years since he had struck out on his own, but while Logan had once rebelled against the pre-ordained life that had been presented to him since his birth, he had no desire to see his family's business falter. When push came to shove, he knew that whatever had happened between him and his father in the past, blood was most definitely thicker than water and when needed to, he would step up to the plate.

The return to Hartford and back into the fold of the Huntzberger Publishing Group was made a little easier down to the fact that Logan's career had gone from strength to strength in Palo Alto over the past year. This was something that so important to him. He was not returning to his father's company with his tail between his legs but rather, he was returning to as a success. He could have felt sad about the life he was leaving behind in California, the life he had made for himself out there, but the truth was, it was a life he had imagined for him and her and when that dream was never realized, his enthusiasm for it had waned.

Rory Gilmore had broken his heart the day she turned down his proposal. He knew that it had been a bit of a curveball, after all, they'd never really discussed what a future together would look like but he had been so sure they were on the same page. Every day for eighteen months he had regretted walking away from her on that fateful day. He knew that he should never have issued a stupid all-or-nothing ultimatum but his own pride and stubbornness had prevented him from calling her to say sorry, though he had toyed with the idea many times and even come close to dialling her number on occasions. Logan had thought that maybe he would hear from her at some point, but she never called or even emailed and while he had tried to keep up with what she was doing in her career – the last he had heard she was taking off on the Obama campaign trail with Hugo – his many late night Google searches always proved fruitless. Logan had even taken to looking her up on Facebook and while he could see that she was registered, her profile was locked down and he had never been brave enough to actually send her a friend request as he didn't want to risk another rejection, however small.

Logan had tried to move on from Rory. There had been other girls of course, but nothing nearly serious as he had never quite felt ready to make a commitment to anyone else. He'd lost none of the famous Huntzberger charms in this time but none of the women he met in California had the magic mix of quick wit, intelligence and exuberance that his ex-girlfriend possessed. After Rory, he found he couldn't even go back to his old womanising ways – she had changed him for good and he no longer found satisfaction from bedding a different girl every week. He was searching for the committed relationship that he once enjoyed with her, but even after all these months had passed, he still couldn't imagine that life being with anyone else.

There had been an unspoken rule that nobody in his circle mentioned the name, Rory. This wasn't a problem at all for his mother who was certainly happy to pretend she never existed. His father had been disappointed that in the end Logan and Rory's relationship had broken down – they'd got off to a rocky start but he had discovered over time that she had been so good for him. Mitchum had realised that all the positive changes in Logan had come as a result of Rory's influence – whether she had meant them to or not. He'd stopped messing around with the Life and Death Brigade so much studied more and had developed and demonstrated a more mature attitude towards his future career. Naturally, Honor had been disappointed, she'd always had a soft spot for Rory and had come to view her as the sister she never had. She'd hoped that Logan would see sense and chase after Rory but she never pushed it.

Logan's friends knew better than to bring her up in conversation. At one time they'd all been friends together and had shared some fun times and experiences. It was hard when reminiscing about past exploits to keep her out of them, but the truth was, after she had graduated and their relationship had ended, the gang went back to being Logan's friends. None of them had kept in touch with her since then and she had seemed to disappear out of Hartford society just as easily as she had slipped into it in the first place.

Now Logan was once again heading out and starting a new life for himself. Despite all of his reservations, he was actually looking forward to taking the helm at HPG and starting to rebuild the fractured relationships with his family.

Several hours and a short nap later, Logan's car pulled up to the outside of the Huntzberger mansion. He stood outside the imposing front entrance and took a deep breath. The house had been the scene of many an unpleasant altercation between himself and his family and while he'd also had a lot of happy times there, in the past few years he'd always felt the same imposing sense of dread when he entered into what had become known amongst his friends as the 'Dragon's Lair'. Logan knew things were slightly different now; he was there as a more mature person and while he was once again there at his father's request, this time he was not to be on the receiving end of a dressing down. He appreciated that it hadn't been an easy thing for Mitchum to do - to swallow his pride and ask for Logan to come back.

"Logan!" Shira exclaimed as he walked into the living room. She jumped up to greet her only son with a kiss on both cheeks "It's so good that you're here!"

"It's good to be back mom" Logan smiled before turning to his father "Dad, how are you feeling?"

"Can't complain Logan, your mother here is an excellent nurse" Mitchum smirked. "or at least, she's excellent at instructing the staff…" he laughed as Shira pouted.

"Logan, you must be tired, do you want something to eat or drink? Maria! MARIA!" Shira hollered for their maid.

"A glass of water will be fine mom" Logan laughed to himself as he thought about how nothing had changed in the time he had been away.

The maid gingerly entered the room.

"Ah, there you are Maria. Can you fetch my son some iced water? He's just got off a very long flight. And bring some tea."

"Of course ma'am". Maria said quietly as she exited the room.

"Now Logan, I know you've had a long journey. You may want to go rest and freshen up as we have friends over for dinner tonight." His mother smiled at him sweetly.

"Here's hoping it's not another precious fish dish" Mitchum joked.

"Now Mitchum, you know what the doctor said," Shira said sweetly "You need to cut down on your red meat, so they'll be no more steaks for you for a while".

Mitchum groaned and turned to his son and whispered. "We'll be heading to New York next week, make us reservations at Keens, they do an excellent Chateaubriand".

Logan laughed and nodded at his father. Mitchum was recovering well from the operation he'd had a few weeks ago and the doctors had told him there was no reason he wouldn't make a full recovery. He had however taken the heart problems as a big warning sign and had decided himself that it was time to slow down a bit and enjoy his life. Mitchum had dedicated decades of his life to working his butt off and making HPG a big success, and it was time to actually enjoy the rewards that he'd reaped. Part of this was bringing Logan back on board to take on as much as was possible so that Mitchum could take a step back and put in fewer hours.

"I'm actually going to head out into Hartford for a bit I think. I need to keep going or the jet lag will get to me. I think I'll get the ball rolling with some realtors – I'm going to need somewhere to live and all my boxes will be arriving from Palo Alto in a few days". Logan had arranged for all his belongings to be shipped from his apartment in California and while everything was rosy with the Huntzbergers right now, he had no intention of staying with them for any longer than he had to. He figured the quicker he got on to finding a place of his own, the better for everyone.

"That's a good plan son" Mitchum nodded. "Makes sense to get settled before the real work starts".

"Well, I think we have all the information we need to start the property search for you Mr Huntzberger" The realtor Stacey smiled at him sweetly. "If you need anything else in the meantime, please don't hesitate to call me," she said handing over the business card. Logan smiled back. A couple of years ago she would have been just his type – blonde, beautiful, impeccably groomed and perfect to lose himself in for a one night stand but those days were gone. He simply wasn't interested in that life anymore.

"Thanks, Stacey. I look forward to seeing what you come up with" Logan said as he took her card and walked out of the office into the street.

It was a beautiful day in Hartford, unseasonably warm and all around were people enjoying the weather – exercising, walking their dogs, playing with their children or simply enjoying an ice-cream in the sun. Logan couldn't help but think that it felt really good to be there. California was so great in so many ways but he was an east coast boy at heart and being there, in Hartford, it was comfortable and reassuring. It was home.

He was completely lost in his own thoughts as he wandered down the street. Just as he was about to enter another realtor's office, something, or more accurately, someone, caught his eye across the street and stopped him in his tracks.